Xiamen

Xiamen sits on a subtropical island and a curve of mainland coast in southern Fujian, looking across the strait toward Taiwan. Locals call it "the garden on the sea," and the name fits: bougainvillea (the city flower) tumbles over walls all year, the waterfront is strung with cycling paths and beaches, and the old colonial quarter on Gulangyu Island has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2017. Xiamen is compact, clean, easy to walk, and one of the gentlest first stops in China for foreign travelers — especially now that most visitors can enter visa-free for up to 240 hours.

Why visit Xiamen

This is a city you slow down in. Mornings start with a bowl of peanut soup and a plate of oyster omelet; afternoons drift between colonial villas, a Buddhist temple at the foot of a green peak, and what locals proudly call China's most beautiful university campus. The air is cleaner than in most Chinese megacities, the pace is unhurried, and almost everything worth seeing is packed into the southwest of Xiamen Island, within a short metro or taxi ride of each other.

Best time to visit

March to April and October to November are the sweet spots. Spring is warm (15–23°C) and the whole island flowers; autumn is sunny and dry once the typhoon season has passed. July and August are hot and humid, and the occasional typhoon can shut down the Gulangyu ferries for a day or two — check the forecast if you travel then. Winter (December to February) stays mild and quiet, and prices drop, which suits budget travelers.

Top things to do

• Gulangyu Island — a car-free island of colonial mansions, gardens, and piano music, reached by a short ferry.
• Nanputuo Temple — a thousand-year-old Buddhist temple with a lotus pond, free to enter, beneath Wulao Peak.
• Xiamen University — the campus Tan Kah Kee built, with its famous graffiti tunnel and seaside sports field.
• Hulishan Fortress — an 1894 coastal fort guarding a record-breaking 19th-century Krupp cannon.
• Zengcuo'an — a former fishing village turned lively lane of guesthouses, street food, and live music.
• Island Ring Road — rent a bike or just walk the coastal boardwalk past Baicheng Beach and the sea.

Getting around

Xiamen has a clean, English-signed metro; Line 1 runs along the coast and is a scenic ride in itself. Buses and the elevated BRT fill the gaps, and Didi (China's ride-hailing app) works everywhere and is cheap. Gulangyu is reached only by ferry — tourists board at the Dongdu (Xiamen Cruise Terminal), not the downtown local pier. Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN) is about 20 minutes from downtown, and high-speed trains use Xiamen North Station, linking the city to Fuzhou, Shenzhen, and beyond.

What to eat

Minnan (southern Fujian) food is one of the real reasons to come. Look for oyster omelet (海蛎煎), satay noodles (沙茶面) in a nutty, mildly spicy broth, popiah fresh spring rolls, peanut soup, and ginger duck. Bawan (a translucent sweet-potato dumpling stuffed with pork and mushroom) is a Fujian specialty worth trying once. Zengcuo'an and the lanes around Bagua Mansion are good hunting grounds for snacks.

Visa-free entry

Travelers from 55 eligible countries — including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and most of Europe — can transit visa-free through Xiamen for up to 240 hours (10 days) when arriving and departing for a third country or region. Xiamen Gaoqi Airport and the Xiamen International Cruise Port both handle the scheme, and it lets you roam all of Fujian and many other provinces during your stay. Download Alipay or WeChat before you arrive: you will need one to buy ferry tickets, ride the metro, and pay almost everywhere.